Prepayment fluid-meter.



I Patented lune,l2, I900.

H. GREEN. PREPAYMENT FLUID METER,

(Application filed May 23, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet L (No Model.)

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No. 65|,48l. Patented lune l2, I900.

- H. GFEEN.

PREPAYMENT FLUID METER. (Applicution filed. m 23, 1599,)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

NORRIS anus no. vnoraiwua, wuumu'rom n c -NlTE-DI STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY GREEN, or PRESTON, ENGLAND.

PREPAYMENT FLUID-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,481, dated June 12, 1900.

Application filed May 23, 1899. Serial No. 717,909. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GREEN, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Fishergate, Preston, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented Improvements in Prepayment. Fluid-Meters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to prepayment fluid-meters, and particularly to those of the kind described in the specification of former United States Letters Patent granted to me, No. 606,625, dated June 28, 1898, its object being to provide what is known as pricechanging mechanism, whereby the quantity of fluid permitted to flow through the meter in exchange for a given coin can be readily and definitely varied to meet the changes which may from time to time be made in the price of the fluid supplied without substituting for one or more existing parts of the meter other parts of a similar kind, but differing therefrom in their relative proportions or otherwise.

Price-changing mechanism according to this invention comprises a compound-toothed wheel adapted to transmit motion from one part of the apparatus to another and composed of a pair of mutilated gear-wheels, one of which is fixed to the part to be driven and the other of which is capable of partial rotation independently of said part. The two mutilated wheels are capable of being so coupled together that although they cannot be simultaneously disengaged from the driving part each mutilated wheel alternately will be disengaged from the said part and then will remain idle while the other mutilated wheel will be rotated relatively to and so as to cause the reengagement with the driving part of the for the time being disengaged mutilated wheel, the arrangement being such that the extent to which the mutilated wheels can move in a rotary sense independently of or relatively to each other, and consequently the extent to which the loose mutilated wheel will be rotated by the driving part without causing a corresponding movement of the driven part, can be varied from time to time, so as to cause the rotations of the driving part to be transmitted to the driven part in varying ratios and the quantity of fluid supplied in exchange for a given coin thus changed to meet the various alterations in wheels.

the price of the fluid. The compound wheel.

may be interposed between the fluid-measuring apparatus and a part which eventually stops the supply of fluid, in which case the greater the amount of the independent or relative rotation permitted between the two mutilated wheels the greater will be the amount of fluid allowed to flow for eachcoin inserted. The compound wheel may, however, be interposed between the coin freeing or operating mechanism and a part which controls the flow of fluid through the meter, in which latter case the greater the amount of the independent or relative rotation "permitted the less will be the amount of fluid delivered for each coin inserted.

The accompanying drawings illustrate price-changing mechanism according to the present invention applied to prepayment apparatus of the kind described in the specification of my said former patent; but such mechanism may be applied to other constructions of prepayment apparatus, whether fitted to a dry gas-meter, as in the example" illustrated, or to a wet meter.

Figure 1 is a plan, partly in section, of so 7 much of a dry meter as is necessary to illustrate my improvements, the casing being removed. Fig. 2 is a section on the line to m, Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of the mutilated gear-wheels. Fig. 5 is an end view of a modification in my price-changing mechanism. Fig. 6 is a side view thereof. Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the mutilated gear- Fig. 8 is a similar view to Fig. 5 of a further modification, and Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a slight modification of that shown in Fig. 8.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4:, l is a worm which is driven by the meter proper and, gears with a mutilated worm-wheel 2, that is shown 'separatelyin Fig. 3 and is connected to a worm-spindle 3, that gears with a worm-wheel 4:, fixed to one of the hollow plugs of a compound cock, such as described in the specification of my said former patent, and which controls the passage of gas through the meter. The other plug is actuated by hand through appropriate coin-freed mechanism. The two hollow plugs are so arranged one within the other that in certain relative positions they close the gas-passage, and then if a coin be inserted through the coin-slot 5 of the meter and a handle 0 be actuated the second-mentioned hollow plug may be actuated to a given extent, whereupon the gas-passage through the compound cock will be opened, and as gas flows the first-mentioned hollow plug will be actuated by the meter proper, so as, by the time the quantity of gas paid for has been delivered, to again close the gas-passage through the compound cock. The worm 1 also gears with a second mutilated wormwheel 7, that is shown separately in Fig. & and is loosely mounted on a fixed tubular stud 8, the axis of which is in line with the spindle 8. The two mutilated wheels 2 and 7 together constitute what I have hereinbefore designated a compound 4 toothed wheel. Frictional contact between the two mutilated wheels 2 and 7 is prevented by a collar or flange 8 on the stud 8. The peripheral portion of the mutilated wheel 2 is connected to its boss by arms or abutments 2 2", and the mutilated wheel 7 has a pin 9, or two pins 9 and 10, screwed through it so as to project laterally into the opening 2 in the body of the mutilated wheel 2. The pin 9 may be a fixed pin and the pin 10 movable and screwed through any one of a series of holes 11 11 11, &c., arranged in a part circle at equal distances apart. The positions of the pins in relation to the arms must be such that the gaps of the mutilated wheels 2 and 7 can never overlap each other. When the pins 9 and 10, as shown in Fig.- 2, abut, respectively, against the arms 2 and 2 of the mutilated wheel 2, the mutilated Wheels 2 and 7 will be coupled together, so as to form a complete wheel, having, say, forty teeth, the teeth of each mutilated Wheel overlapping the gap in the other mutilated wheel, and independent or relative movement between them being prevented by the pins the two mutilated wheels will be continuously driven as one wheel so long as the worm is in motion-that is to say, as long as the gas-passage of the compound cock remains open and consumption of gas occurs. The gearing may, for example, be so proportioned that when the mutilated wheels are thus coupled twenty feet of gas can pass through the meter between the opening of the gas-passage by means of, say, a penny and the closing of the same by the meter. \Vhen, however, the pin 10 is shifted from the hole 11 to thehole 11", both mutilated wheels will, if the arm 2 abuts against the pin 9 and the wheel 2 gears with the worm 1, travel together until the gap in the mutilated wheel 2 is over or against the worm 1', whereupon the mutilated wheel 2 will become disengaged from the worm 1 and will stop rotating. The mutilated wheel 7, however, being in gear with the worm 1, will then be moved independently of or rela tively to the mutilated wheel 2 until the pin 10 abuts against the arm 2", whereupon the mutilated wheel 7' will drive the mutilated Wheel 2 forward until it again gears into the worm 1. Both mutilated wheels then again travel together until the gap in the mutilated wheel 7 is over the worm 1, whereupon the mutilated wheel 7 will become disengaged from the worm 1 and will stop rotating; but the mutilated wheel 2 will continue to rotate, and will thus bring its arm 2 into contact with the pin 9 and then drive forward the mutilated wheel 7 until it again gears with the worm 1. \Vith the pin 10 in the hole 11 such an amount of relative movement is permitted while the gap of the mutilated wheel 2 is over the worm 1 that said wheel and the inner plug of the compound cock cease to move during the time that the mutilated wheel 7 is being moved idly for a distance equal to two teeth. The mutilated wheel 2 thus transmits the motion of the worm l in the ratio of one to forty-two instead of one to forty, as is the case when the mutilated wheels are coupled together so as to form a complete wheel, and thus allows twenty-one feet of gas to pass through the meter between the opening and closing of the gas-passage of the compound eoek instead of twenty feet. If the pin. 10 be removed altogether, then the mutilated wheel 2 and the inner plug of the cock will cease working, while the mutilated wheel 7 is moved forward idly adistance equal to, say, twenty teeth, thus making the mutilated wheel 2 transmit the motion of the worm 1 in the ratio of one to sixty and permitting thirty feet of gas to pass for each penny. Thus by removing or varying the position of the pin 10 the meter can be adjusted to deliver twenty or any greater number of feet of gas up to, say, thirty feet in exchange for each penny inserted. As will be understood, the number and the positions of the holes, and consequently the limits of adjustment, may vary and the shifting of the pin 10 from one hole 11 to the next may be arranged to cause a variation of more or less than one foot in the amount of gas supplied for each penny.

In some cases instead of the mutilated wheels 2 and 7 being driven direct from the meter-driven worm 1 they may be driven therefrom through a worm-wheel, on the spindle of which is a pinion with which both the mutilated wheels 2 and 7 gear.

The motion of the worm 1 may be conveyed through the mutilated wheel 2 to the wormspindle 3 by means of a spring-pawl 12 and ratchet-wheel 12, carried, respectively, by the mutilated avheel 2 and the worm spindle 3, the object being to enable the latter to be moved forward by hand independently of the action of the meter mechanism, so as to reset the indicator to zero when the meter is to be used by a new customer.

Referring to the modified arrangement of the mutilated gear-wheels illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the mutilated wheel 2, which is connected with the spindle 3, is formed with a series of holes 20 21 22, &e., in its peripheral portion, and the movable pin 10, which can be caused to occupy any one of the said holes, is carried by a radial arm mounted loosely on the spindle 3. The said arm is held with the pin 10 projecting through one of the holes into an aperture 7 between the arms or abntments 7 and 7 of i the other mutilated wheel 7, as shown in Fig.

7, by means of a nut 13, screwed on the spindle end. On slackening this nut the arm 1O can be moved back along the spindle, so as to withdraw the pin 10 clear of the mutilated wheels 2 and 7 The arm can then be swung about the spindle and moved along it, so as to cause the pin 10 to pass through any desired hole, the tightening of the nut fixing the pin in position. By this arrangement adjustment of the pin 10 is facilitated. The arm 10" may be formed with an opening 10*, as shown in Fig. 5, through which can be seen figures on the mutilated wheel 2 indicating the amount of gas which will be delivered for each inserted coin when the pin 10 is in any particular position.

Fig. 8 shows a modification in which one of the mutilated wheels (indicated here at 7 and 2 is provided with a fixed pin 9 and the other with an adjustable arm 10. This arm is capable of being fixed in any desired position by means of the nut 13 and a pin 10*. On this arm there is a projection 10, which extends laterally into the opening 2 of the wheel 2 against which the pin 9 can in its rotation abut. By altering the position of the arm 10", and consequently that of the projection 10, the relative motion of the two mutilated wheels can be varied.

In the modification shownlin Fig. 9, where the mutilated wheels are the same as in Fig. 8, the pin 9 is made sufficiently long to come in contact during its travel with the arm l0" itself, which is therefore not provided with a projection 10,as in the previous arrangement.

What I claim is- 1. Price-changing mechanism for prepayment fluid-meters, comprising a pair of mutilated gear-wheels one of which is fixed to a part that communicates motion to the part to be driven and one of which is loose but capable of being so coupled to the other mutilated wheel as to permit the two mutilated wheels to be partially rotated relatively to each other to a limited but variable extent and to become, during rotation, alternately engaged and disengaged from the part that drives them, the reengagement of each mutilated wheel being effected by the continued rotation of the other, as set forth.

2. Price-changing mechanism for prepayment fluid-meters, comprising gearing driven by the fluid-measuring mechanism, a mutilated gear-wheel fixed to a spindle that communicates motion to a device for stopping the supply of fluid, a second mutilated gearwheel loosely mounted in proximity to the other one, both of said mutilated wheels being adapted to be engaged by said gearing, means for coupling said mutilated wheels together so that they are capable of limited relative movement in a rotary sense, andmeans for varying the amount of said relative movement, as set forth.

3. Price-changing mechanism for prepayment fluid-meters, comprising a pair of mutilated gear-wheels adapted to be engaged by gearing driven by the measuring mechanism, of which mutilated wheels one is fixed to a spindle that communicates motion to a device for stopping the supply of fluid and the other is capable of partial rotation independently of said part, said two mutilated wheels being capable of being so coupled together by means of an adjustable abutment that they can move in a rotary sense relatively to one another the amount of relative movement, and consequently the quantity of fluid supplied for each prepaid coin being determined by adjusting the position of said abutment, as set forth.

4. Price-changing mechanism for prepayment fluid-meters, comprising a pair of mutilated gear-wheels having a common axis and each having abutting means, said abutting means being adjustable for the purpose specified, gearing that is driven from the measuring mechanism and engages with the said mutilated wheels and a spindle to which one of said mutilated wheels-is fixed and which com- .municates motion to a device for stopping the supply of fluid, as set forth.

5. Price-changing mechanism for prepayment fluid-meters, comprising a pair of mutilated gear-wheels having a common axis, one of said mutilated wheels being formed with fixed abutments and the other provided with a laterally-projecting abutment capable of adjustment for the purpose specified and adapted to engage with said first-mentioned abutments, gearing that is driven from the measuring mechanism and engages with said mutilated wheels and a spindle to which one of said mutilated wheels -is fixed and which communicates motion to a device for stopping the supply of fluid, as set forth.

6. Price-changing mechanism for prepayment fluid-meters, comprising a spindle that gears with a device for stopping the supply of fluid, a pair of mutilated gearwheels mounted side by side upon a common axis and capable of limited relative movement in a rotary sense, one being connected to said spindle by means of a ratchet-and-pawl arrangement and provided with abutments and the other being loosely mounted on a tubular stud through which said spindle passes and being provided with an adjustable laterally-projecting abutment, and gearing driven by the measuring mechanism and engaging with the said pair of gear-wheels, asset forth. Signed at Preston, in the county of Lancaster, England, this 1st day of May, 1899.

HENRY GREEN.

Witnesses:

HERBERT 13. GREEN, F. J. NEWBOURN. 

